Incendiary projectile.



L. NIXON.

INCENDIARY PROECTILE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 25, 1914.

Patented Sept. 14, .1915.

Tn sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS I'IXON, NEW YORK, N. Y.

I'GENDIARY PROJECTILE.

Maaate.,

Application filed-November 25, 1914. Serial No. 874,001.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, Lnwrs NIXON, a citizen of thie United States, residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Incendiary Projectiles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention rela-tes to improvements in incendiary projectiles intended to more especially set fire to balloons, Zeppelins, or other air craft, and is also intended for incendiary purposes in bombarding cities, fortiiications, ships, or other objects composed wholly or in part of combustible materials.

According to my invention I use shrapne of any ordinary or suitable design, in which, instead of metal balls, I use pellets or balls of a mixture similar to that known as Greek fire, -which balls are packed in a mixture of treated .iron filings and special slow burning powder. A suitable fuse or bursting charge is supplied to burst the shrapnel and scatter the combustible products thereof. l

My invention may be applied to any type of shrapnel, one type of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, which represents the ordinary United States service three-inch shrapnel; but which, instead of containing sulfur with lead balls, contains the combustible compound hereinbefore described. This drawing shows the shrapnel in cent-rah longitudinal section, with 'the fuse in elevation.

A represents the shell of the shrapnel,\B

- the head which is screwed into the shell which is provided with a chamber B for the bursting charge, which is preferably of black powder.

@represents the fuse which may be'of any suitable type.

D represents the binder, made up` of treated iron filings and special powder; and also the balls E of combustible material.

By having the bursting charge in front ofthe combustible material contained in the shell, there is a tendency to arrest, in 1a measure, the forward movement of the comhustible mass and to disintegrate and scat- Even a number of holes through thed planes of 'an aeroplane made by shrapnel bullets or pieces voit shell as now used are not necessarily fatal. But if one of a-stream of these pellets, burning with fierce flame' and intense heat, strike an aeroplane or dirigible, there is little likelihood of escape, as these fiery masses burn with a llame that neither rapid motion nor water will extinguish. One-'such flame on the planesof an aeroplane, or the envelop of a dirigible,

would cause a' rapidly extending hole that .l

would quicklyl bring about the loss of the air craft. V

While especially designed for destroying air craft, they can be most eectively used against men in intrenchments, or to set fire to buildings, or other inflammable objects.

TheJ illing andpelletswhen burning give olf bright light and render 'the shrapnel specially useful as range indicating means at night.

'It willbe obvious4 that various modifications might be made in the herein described device, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus,described my inventionwhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A projectile of the character described, comprising a metal casing containing a mass of highly combustible balls bound together with a combustible binder, a cap closing one end of said casing and provided with a chamber containing a bursting charge for bursting said casing and' to scatter said in- `flammable material, and a fuse carried by f said cap and adapted to ignite said bursting charge, substantially as described.

2. A projectile of the character described, comprising a metal casing containing a mass of highly combustible balls bound together with a combustible binder, a cap closing-the In testimony whereof, affix my signa.- front end of said casing and provided with ture, in presence of two witnesses.

a chamber containing a bursting charge for bursting said 'casing and to scatter said '1n- LEWIS NIKON' flammable material, and a fuse closing` the Witnesses:

front end of said cap and adapted to ignite LEvIN CAUFFMAN, said bursting charge. LAURA E. SMITH. 

